‘Need to strategise for long-term solutions’

Malawi’s civil society organisations (CSOs) reacted to the recent xenophobia attacks by petitioning the South African High Commission and initiating the Black Friday where Malawians were asked to boycott the buying of goods from South African-owned shops. ALBERT SHARRA caught up with Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) national secretary Chris Chisoni to find out more on this.

Q: About 900 Malawians have been repatriated from South Africa following the recent xenophobia attacks. What has been your position since the attacks began?    

A: CCJP issued a media statement categorically condemning these attacks and reminding the people of South Africa, their government, the foreign nationals living in South Africa, the Malawi Government and the international community of the desire for proper dialogue on the socio-economic challenges faced by some South Africans than the differed anger meted on foreign nationals under xenophobic attacks.

The attacks are a violation of human rights and supremacy of the sanctity of human life and will never be a solution to the problems South Africans are facing. In this case, in a global village, South Africa cannot morally claim that its people alone developed their country as evidenced by so many foreign nationals that from time immemorial have worked in South Africa.

Q: Malawi was among the countries that responded to the attacks swiftly. What is our comment on government’s actions?

A:  We in CCJP commended government for that swift response as Malawian citizens were immediately rescued from the violence that would have taken away many people’s lives. The repatriation processes are commendable though they are short-termed in nature. What is lacking is a national dialogue on critical push factors that make Malawi’s citizens to still find South Africa attractive. We all know that some Malawians are found in South Africa through legal means while others are found there through human trafficking practices and more others are found there purely illegally without immigration documents and work permits.

So the question of repatriation is valuable, but we must go beyond this to find solutions to our porous borders, our poor socio-economic indicators, our illegally aided immigration loopholes, our ever increasing numbers of unemployed youths and many more others so as to gain deeper insights into the trekking of Malawians to South Africa. In turn, strategising for long-term solutions that are multi-sectoral for Malawians to find conducive business and working environment for their livelihoods in their own country.

Q: On Friday, Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama) executive director John Kapito organised a Black Friday boycott that led to the closure of Shoprite, Game and other South African-owned shops. Some commentators have argued that the action targeted the wrong audience. What do you say?

A:  Those that organised Black Friday campaign had genuine reasons as a continued journey of expressing discontent with the xenophobic attacks. However, there is a great need for more sensitisation and awareness on xenophobic attacks. Closing of private shops, in our considered view, might not be directly dealing with the core issues at stake. It is a pressure tactic, but it only defers the direction of our actions into peripheral issues. Just like those South Africans that think foreign nationals are the source of their wretchedness, instead of dealing with the real causes and effects, Malawians must at all cost avoid mounting actions that appear to show a misplaced intervention. The South African businesses in Malawi cannot be demonstrated to be the sources of the acts of violence in South Africa and no matter how angry we can be, without this logical connectivity, any actions on them are devoid of moral sanity and lack an in-depth analysis of the current situation.

Q: Are you satisfied with the actions taken so far by Malawians against the xenophobia attacks?

A:  Malawians across the board have condemned the attacks, have in solidarity expressed their anger and disgust on the attacks. This is very good for a healing process. Government has come out to repatriate our fellow citizens from South Africa, this is commendable. But we must go beyond this and do things differently.

Q: How do you want the country to move forward?

A:  Indeed, it is good to go beyond peaceful demonstrations, peaceful repatriation processes, and ask other important questions. From here, what next? Shall we continue to repatriate? Shall we continue to demonstrate? Shall we continue to see our fellow citizens trekking to the South? Can we do things differently or what is wrong with our country’s policies and laws that were supposed to anchor socio-economic and inclusive development?

Q: You have been following South African government response to the attacks through the media. What do you make of it?

A:  The South African government in our considered view came in with radical actions to stop the attacks slightly late as in the earlier stages it was preoccupied with rationalisations and condemnation rhetoric. Actions rather than pronouncements were more needed earlier than before.  A re-look at the country’s economic malaise is critical to identify long term solutions for the discontent. Transforming the destructive energies of the youth into energies for development and cooperation in a post-apartheid era is also very critical.

Q: Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) wants United Nations to take action against the South African government on its response to the attacks. What is your position?

A :  It is important for the international instruments of law to take their course as the case boarders around human rights violations and international cooperation. However, regional initiatives could also be explored as they could be more immediate and contextual than going global. Probably the MHRC could engage its fellow regional counterparts for this agenda.

Q: Any additional comment?

A:  Human suffering in any other form must be condemned and governments must strive to create enabling policy and legal environment towards improving the livelihood of their citizens. If the State is perceived to be predating on its own citizens then some citizens would start thinking a failed State allows for citizens to take measures that are against humanity, against international law and against the survival of the human race. It is critical,therefore, that differed anger must be constructively worked into energies for active citizen participation. Unequal development in any society is a recipe for social unrest so interrogating the systems and structures of evil and oppression is more important today worldover.